Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens is a heartbreaking, beautiful, and haunting thriller that lingers long after you turn the last page. This book is more than just a suspenseful mystery—it’s an emotionally packed story that delves into trauma, grief, and the resilience needed to face the past.

Stevens weaves a complex narrative, balancing a current-day mystery with flashbacks to a devastating flood that reshaped Lucy Michaels’ life and her small town. Years ago, Lucy lost her little brother in that flood, and just as she’s beginning to heal, new tragedies and buried secrets resurface, threatening to upend her world once more. The novel masterfully captures the weight of these events on Lucy and her community, making each twist hit even harder.

This is not a light read, and potential readers should check the content warnings, as the story addresses serious themes and might be triggering for some. But for those who love an intense, layered thriller that digs into both past and present wounds, Last Girl Breathing is a compelling, unforgettable read.

A twisty and gritty tale penned by a favorite author.

I love Court Stevens voice. She has a way of bringing out a down-home type of feel into her characters and Last Girl Breathing is no different.

With the past intermingling to the present and an absolute dynamite ramp-up to the end, this is a book I can easily recommend to fans of YA mystery & thriller.

My rating: 3.5*

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Thanks to NetGalley for this gifted advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I have enjoyed the books that I have read from Court Stevens and this one was no exception.
Honestly, this one was probably the slowest paced one for me. It took me a bit to get into the story, even though it began with a traumatic event. I felt like there were a lot of characters to try to remember so that slowed me down.
She did have me guessing who the suspect was throughout, I did figure it out, but not until closer to the end of the book. I appreciated that she didn't use foul language and was still able to tell the story in a way that seemed realistic. It is a clean read and for that I am thankful. I will definitely continue to read her books.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary copy. This is my honest review.

This was a fast yet good novel. I honestly didn’t know how it was going to end but I was honestly surprised by it. Would definitely recommend to friends who enjoy this genre.

This was a sad story of betrayal and painful truths. Lucy had experienced the loss of her brother Clay 8 years ago when a dam had broken in their town. She then loses her other brother in a strange sequence of events. Lucy is determined to get to the bottom of what happened and who was involved. You just can't put this one down once you start. I read it in a few hours.

(3.5 / 5)

Eight years after heavy rain caused a dam failure that swept away her younger brother, Lucy's step-brother Martin has gone missing in the same expanse of land that was under water all those years ago. Lucy can't help but wonder if Martin's allegations that someone was behind the dam break are related to his disappearance, and soon she's swept up in an escalating mystery that involves multiple deaths and disappearances.

I found myself really caught up in the suspense of this book—the search for Martin, the questions about the dam break, the obvious suspicious behavior of Lucy's ex-boyfriend. Every once in a while, there's a brief glimpse into the day of the dam break, and the impending disaster in those sections added to the suspense for me. There are a lot of characters, basically all of whom could be involved in either the dam disaster or the current tragedy. It took me a little bit to understand the dynamics of this group of families who are said to spend a lot of time together, but once I did, I had no issue keeping them straight.

The thrill ride comes to an abrupt halt, though, a little past halfway, when part 1 ends and part 2 is basically just a page saying that time has gone by. Then part 3 picks up 2 years later. It was a bit of a jolt, though I understand the need for a time jump. I definitely didn't expect it and wonder if there was a better way to do it, but I was still invested and wanted to find out the truth of everything. However, my real issue comes with the ending. The ending is usually pretty make-or-break for suspense/thriller novels, and this one was...okay. It felt a little too much like a twist was thrown in just for the sake of having a twist. By the time we find out who's behind much of the events, I don't feel very connected to that person, so it probably doesn't hit me as hard as it should. And by that point, to be honest, I was half expecting it anyway. Overall, though, I enjoyed the book more than not and have already recommended it to my suspense-loving teenage daughter. I like that it's fairly clean overall, with no language that I can remember and only side references to affairs or other things of that nature (including a fairly uncomfortable mention of a first kiss when Lucy was 13). Though I think the pacing could have been better, I feel comfortable recommending this book to any fan of suspense novels who is interested.

I loved the action and mystery of this thriller. I also liked that it was for a girl on a competitive shooting team. I'd never read anything else like that. Stevens did a great job of keeping it not super predictable and interesting. The ending was the only thing that made me pause--it felt a little too off the rails and unbelievable for me. But I do think my students will read it and enjoy it!

i really liked other books by court stevens but found this a bit meh in terms of story and character development. still, maybe readers who aren't as finicky as i am might find it more gripping in terms of mystery

This is an YA mystery thriller about the killings past and present, where young girl Lucy realizes she might be in the middle of conspiracy and where certain information might mean - death.

I have found this a good, catchy read - yet I would love to have much more human interactions. There really is too much of secretive atmosphere is the close community, so I would think there would be much more of the human connections? Also, there is too high a pile of dead bodies here without much explanation. But the atmosphere is intense and I have enjoyed this read (which is quite a praise in my books).

The narrator was well-skilled and the narration has enhanced this audiobook exprience.

This book was so good! I really wish I had wrote my review immediately after finishing the book Sunday night because I would have had a much better review. This book literally made me laugh out loud at parts and cry at others. I alternated between the ebook and audiobook. Both were done very well and kept me interested. I didn’t want to put it down! The characters were so well written and such a deep backstory, that I felt like I knew them. There did seem like a lot of characters at first but it was easy to keep them straight on who was who. This book is so full of misdirection, lies and deception. I thought I would have it figured out only to be thrown a curveball! This happened several times. I think I finally had it figured out just pages before the reveal. This story is told in present and a specific time in the past. It is revealed little by little throughout the book what really happened in the past. And then all the events that lead up to the reveal. This book was gut wrenching and heartbreaking. I personally felt betrayed! Which was kind of odd. Swipe over for the synopsis. Or don’t. And just go grab the book! I highly recommend it.
The narrator of this audiobook was perfect for this book! I had no trouble following along, she had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning. She was able to do a good job distinguishing between everyone. So much emotion was conveyed through her narration. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

There where quite a few twists and turns to this story! I appreciated that it kept me guessing as I read it. An interesting story to pick up and enjoy.

An addictive mystery set in a small town with plenty of characters who have a lot to lose by their secrets being uncovered.

I liked the format of this book. It was broken up into three separate time periods: when the murders occurred, after the murders, and then present day. I read a lot of thrillers so it's pretty easy for me to guess the ending (there are only so many twists authors can make), but overall this was an enjoyable read.

This book was just so bleak. Maybe if I was a teen (the intended audience), it wouldn't bother me as much, but as an adult I found it hard to take.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Love, love, love Court Stevens. Her books do not get the attention they deserve. I was consumed by this book.

I really enjoyed listening to Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens and narrated by McKenzie Fetters especially as it is not a book I would usually read, but the cover caught my eye and I am so glad it did. This audiobook/book kept me guessing till the end and also kept me awake, when I thought I had guessed who it was.......Bang the narrator changed pace all over again! Hence why it was a good Whodunit and a page turner.

I highly recommend this Audiobook/book and McKenzie Fetters did a wonderful job with the narration! Superb book

Big Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins Christian Publishing/Thomas Nelson Fiction the publishers for an opportunity to both read and listen to both versions of this excellent novel. x

📖My Thoughts📖

Ooooooo doggy! Thrillers. They’re one of my favorite genre’s. As much as I hate being on the edge of my seat anxious with anticipation, I love it! I seriously devoured this book in one sitting. It was divided into three sections. The first section was the murders, the second was a couple years after, and the third section was current day. The book kept a pretty balanced pace and with some riveting twists! While this was classified as a YA thriller, I think adults will enjoy it as well. I tried so hard to figure it out, but I just couldn’t solve the mystery. While this was a thriller, so we obviously have some serious shiznit going on, my gosh, my heart just broke for this town and the amount of tragedy it endured not only over the years, but then in such a short amount of time as well. There’s a lot of drama and tragedy wedged between the pages of this gem. We have secrets, lies, guilt, suicide, murders accusations; it’s a mixed bag that definitely grabs you and sucks you in for the long haul. If you enjoy thriller mystery novels, you should snatch this one up and give it a whirl!
Thank you Netgalley, Court Stevens and Thomas-Nelson for the opportunity to read and review this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this review copy in exchange for an honest opinion. Review has been posted on Amazon.

This was a wonderful book, of loss, of love, of betrayal. It also sings of finding yourself, who you want to be, and learning that sometimes life takes you down a different road than what you dreamed. I've loved all of Court Stevens books and I was excited to read this one. It was full of action, but not action packed. There was drama, family issues, and moments were I questioned who was really the bad guy (I never guessed!).

A twisty story of murder and mystery, Stevens Last Girl Breathing is a welcome addition to the genre. Set in rural Kentucky, the setting is lush and at times terrifying, and while the ongoing search for the killer keeps the reader turning the pages, Stevens' true strength is her ability to create rich complicated characters within the pages of what could just be an easily devourable thriller. As always, Stevens writes a layered lead battling heartbreaking demons, who in this case, has been forced to grow up too soon. Grounding the story in Lucy's ongoing struggle to find her way through her trauma creates a lush narrative with an all-too relatable character, and makes the reader root for her, not just to solve the mystery, but to find peace.